Invention Stories

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Written By:

Mohit Parikh

What is an everyday affair now was only a theoretical possibility half a century ago. Remember, there was a time when computers were the size of a large room. The more complex a computer was, the more the space it required to house its vacuum tube circuitry and the lower became the circuit’s reliability. These were the everyday unsolvable problems for the electronics industry. How we departed from the complex maze of the thick, heavy vacuum tubes and arrived at today’s nano-scale integration is the journey that hinges on a single, defining invention: the invention of Integrated Circuits; and guided by a single, ages old adage: necessity is the mother of invention.

Written By:

Mohit Parikh

Steve Jobs, the visionary founder of Apple, had sensed an inevitable immediate threat. Cellphones. The mobile technology was evolving rapidly, there was a vast unexplored market and a number of consumer electronic giants were researching in that space. Jobs knew it was only time before someone developed a software and made the phones double as entertainment devices. And if phones could have music - and not only music but games, internet access and camera - of what use would ipods be?

Written By:

Mohit Parikh

In 1978, Dr. Amar Bose - sound engineer, MIT professor and founder of Bose Corporation - was flying from USA to Switzerland when he was offered headphones by the airplane staff to listen to music on flight. But, in the constant drone of the airplane engines, and with no way to escape that drone, he could not enjoy the music. In fact, he could barely hear it. He fetched a paper napkin and began scribbling on it with his pen to see if it was possible to design headphones that could remove this noise. The company claims that the mathematical calculations that began in that flight, thousands of feet above the Atlantic Ocean, gave birth to a new era in the science of noise reduction and cancellation. Excited by his early calculations, as soon as Dr Bose returned from his trip to Europe he formed Noise Reduction Technology Group to work on this technology specifically. This, as they say, was history in the making.

Written By:

Samidha Verma

Ever wondered what gave way to soaring imagination of architects? Would the modern day city’s skyline be the same if we did not have skyscrapers and high rise buildings? One of the inventions that have played an important role in modern day architecture is elevators. Imagine yourself climbing stairs to your apartment on 19th floor each time you want to go out. Yes, sounds like a good workout routine. Think again…and you would have a new found respect for elevators and its inventors. The need for elevators did not arise just yet to support modern architecture; it has been as old as our civilization. We have always looked for ways to lift things. Back in 3rd century, hoists operated by water wheels, humans and animals were used for the lifting purposes. This basic way of lifting continued till the dawn of the industrial revolution.

Written By:

Samidha Verma

Are you one of those who are obsessed with getting clicked? Or one of those who like to capture every moment so that you can cherish it forever? No matter which clan you belong to – one thing that all of you would appreciate is the device that aids us to freeze time in pictures i.e. the camera. Camera is undoubtedly one of the most prized possessions for a lot of us and also one of the cherished creations. Our facebook and other social networking profiles would feel neglected without pictures of us, our families, friends, and all other things around us. Social networking feels lifeless and incomplete without pictures. Camera has endowed us with an ability to put a face to a name in the internet world.

Just as Rome was not built in a day – modern day cameras have long history that goes back far in time. Cameras have witnessed many phases of evolution – camera obscura, daguerreotypes, dry plates, calotypes, film to SLRs and DSLRs.

Written By:

Samidha Verma

Ever tried to count how many things around you have electric motor at its heart? The list is endless, starting from your clocks, cars, washing machines, DVD players, vacuum cleaners to hair dryers – most of the electric appliances around us have electric motor inside them. In case your heart is filled with gratitude for its inventor and you want to flip through the pages of the past to know how this miracle machine was invented, read on…Like many other creations, this one was also a result of many brilliant and inquisitive minds. The foundation of this invention was only laid after battery, magnetic fields from the electric currents and electromagnet made their way. Throughout the world, there were many inventors who passionately worked towards developing solutions in the electrical science field.

Written By:

Samidha Verma

Have you ever thought who could be the father of the glorious machines that make most of the casino revenues these days? A casino owner, a researcher, a young lad interested in gambling? None of these. It was a car mechanic who changed the face of gambling entertainment. Charles Fey from San Francisco came up with the first ever slot machine in the year 1887. Until 20th century term ‘slot machines’ was used not just to address gambling devices but also the automatic vending machines. These machines were called by unusual named like one armed bandit and fruit machine. Before your imagination starts running wild with the names, let me tell you that it is because prior to Fey’s invention, there were some poker machines that allowed the users to win free drinks or cigars on hitting the winning combination. These were also known as trade simulators because they paid winners in merchandise.

Written By:

Samidha Verma

Like all other inventions, Telephone unfolds a fascinating story that lead to its birth. It all started when an inspired Scotsman named Alexander Graham Bell invented telephone in 1876. Thomas Watson had fashioned the device - a crude thing prepared out of a funnel, wooden stand, acid, and cooper wires.

All these simple parts lead to the simple earliest call, belie the complicated past. Bell filed the application only few hours before his competitor Elisha Gray filed the notice to patent a telephone. By using the ideas outlined in the notice of invention by Gray, Bell created an operating telephone 3 weeks later to this.

Written By:

Samidha Verma

Though, one of the most useful, barcode is an underrated invention. Barcode comes from near past; they were implemented in the year 1970. Since then, they have made life of shoppers and stores fairly easy and hassle free.

It all started when a small food vendor realized how tedious it was to keep a track of his inventory and their prices. In 1948, he decided to find an effective solution. And he got in touch with The Drexel Institute of Technology to work out a feasible answer to the problem that loomed from his head. Bernard Silver from the institute accepted the challenge and started investigating the problem. He began working to find out an automatic solution to keep record of the items sold. Soon Bernard along with some of his students realized that the answer lied in ultraviolet rays, scanner and ink.

Written By:

Samidha Verma

Vending machines which are nothing less than genies in today’s world, have added to our convenience. With a range of products offered by these tempting titans, one does not have to worry about time of the day for shopping. Starting from smoke, candies to drinks, vending machines have transformed the shopping experience of the people around the world. But do you know where do these marvel machines root from? By visiting ancient Greece time, one can find the earliest vending machine that was set up in Egyptian temples for dispensing water in return of coins. This was a masterpiece by Hero of Alexandria, a Greek mathematician and engineer. Though the machine was born in 215 B.C, 1880s was the time when it made debut in the commercial world.